Train-pipe-testing device for air-brakes.



No. 758,427. PATBNTBDAPRZG, 1904.

W. S. DE GAMP. v TRAIN PIPE TESTINGDBV-IGE FOR AIR BRAKES. b APPL'IoLTIoN rILn'nuN. 19. 1904.

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PATBNTED APR. 26, 1904.

W. s. DBCAMP.

vTRAIN PIPE TESTING BvIoE FOR AIR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19. 1904.

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w/TNESS S: l ma lm rsf ATToH/vf ys UNITED STATES Patented April 26, v1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

TRAIN-PIPE-TEsTlNG DEVICE Fol-fz A1B-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 758,427, dated April 26, 1904.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. DE CAMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chillicothe, in the county of Ross and State of Chio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Train-Pipe-Testing Devices for Air-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

In the ordinary air-brake system there is a continuous train-line pipe coupled by hosesections between the cars and also a smaller whistle-pipe running continuously through the train and connected by smaller hose-sections between the cars. These two pipes are provided in their length with angle-cocks in thetrain-line pipe and stop-cocks in the whistle-pipe, which are required to vbe opened between cars and to be closed .at the end of the last car of the train, and these cocks are ordinarily operated by the brakemen,`who sometimes forget to properly open them, and when any intermediate cock in these pipes is left closed it is obviousthat the cars in rear of the closed cock are cut off from the engineer, so that he cannot put on the air-brakes nor receive a whistlesignal from that portion of the train.

My invention has for its object to enable the engineer to test the line of train-pipes and .whistle-pipes and to ascertain from his cab if all theintermediate angle-cocks of the'trainpipe are open and all the intermediate stopcocks of the whistle-pipes are also open, and to do this I provide a novel form of portable test device to be hung up on the rear end of the last car of the train and to be connected to both the hose of the train-pipe and whistlepipe and arranged to be operated by an increase of pressure above the normal thrown into the train-pipe by the engineer, which increased pressure will act through all of the train-pipe and through my testing device at the end of the train and will open a vent for the whistle-pipe, and thereby blow a whistle, and thus enable the engin eer to ascertain from his cab if all the cocks are open and the airbrake train-pipe and whistle-pipe are in proper operative condition, for if any intermediate angle-cock of the train-pipe is closed or any intermediate stop-cock of the whistle-pipe is closed the whistle will not be blown.

Application led .January 19, 1904. Serial No. 189,682. (No model.)

Figure l is aperspective view of my portable testing device shown hung upon any suitable support on the4 rear end of the last car of a train and connected to the rear ends of the train-pipe and whistle-pipe. Fig. l1 is a detail, and Fig. `2 is` an enlarged Vertical longitudinal section, of the'valve mechanism of my testing device.

In the drawings, A represents the handrail or any othersuitable portion of the rear end of the last car of a train upon which my portable testing device is detachably hung.

B B is the rear hose end of the train-pipe, in which train-pipe compressed air of a pressure of about seventy pounds is normally maintained and through which by a reduction of pressure the air-brakes are applied in a well-'known way.V C CV is the rear hose end of the whistle-pipe, in which compressed air at about forty pounds pressure is maintained and through which by a reduction of pressure the whistle is blown in a well-known way. To the ends of these sections of hose my testing device is coupled, as shown, so as to combine these'two factors of an air-brake Ysystem 'and render them cooperative in effect and under the control of vthe engineer. The objective resultV is to enable the engineer `to blow the whistle by increasing the normal pressure in the train-pipe to, say, ninety or ninety-one pounds and to make it possible for him to do this only when all the angle-cocks in the trainpipe between the locomotive and rear end of the train are open and all the stop-cocks of the whistle-pipe between the locomotive and the rear end of the train are open, so that if the engineer is unable to blow the whistle by such increase of pressure in the train-pipe he knows that there is a cock in either the trainpipe or whistle-pipe which has been accidentally left closed and is not cut in. In such a contingency the train must be stopped and theclosed cock located and opened or cut in, so that the air-brake and signal system may be complete and operative to the end of the train. It willi be understood that these cocks of the train-pipe and whistle-pipe being manually operated by the brakemen are liable to be forgotten bythe brakeman, and if the airbrakes or signal system are rendered inopera IOO tive by this forgetfulness serious disaster may follow.

The means by which the engineer is, enabled to test and confirm to his own satisfaction the operativeness of his entire system of air brakes and signals will now be described.

D D D2 D3, Fig. l, is a vertical pipe composed of several sections, with T-couplings D D2 D, This -vertical pipe is tightly connected by a suitable clamp with the rear hose end B of the train-pipe. Offsetting from the T-couplings D and D3 are two pipe connections e and 2. Of these e is merely a support and may be made solid, while e2 forms a passage-way for air vfrom the train-pipe to my valve mechanism. This valve mechanism is shown at E E E2 in vertical position beside and parallel with the pipe D D D2 D, being supported by the lateral connections e e2. The lower end of my valve mechanism is tightly connected by a clamp to the hose end C ofthe whistle-pipe, which extends through the train. The part E2 of the valve mechanism is an old form of diaphragm pin-valve which opens above a predetermined pressure, such as any pressure above the normal pressure of seventy pounds in the train-pipe. Its internal construction is seen in Fig. 2, in which is apinvalve which closes on a subjacent seat and shuts off normally the communication between the lateral pipe e2 from the train-line and the vertical passage-way d, leading to the valve mechanism E' below. The pin is carried by a piston 42, which is attached to a diaphragm a, secured at its edges to the stationary casing. The piston is forced down by a coil-spring 41 within a casing 38, and its tension is regulated by a screw-plug 40, surmounted by a screw-cap 39, the same beinga well-known construction of diaphragm'pinvalve, which is normally held closed by the spring, but which when an excessive pressure is admitted beneath the diaphragm is raised by the pressure of the air under the diaphragm and the passage-way d is opened to the lateral pipe e2. The nipple of the passage-way d of the diaphragm-valve communicates at the bottom with a screw-cap 1, which detachably closes a casing 2, which in turn is screwed into a subjacent cup 3, that connects with the Coupling E, leading to the hose end C of the whistle-pipe. The casing 2 has in its side near the bottom a series of ventopenings 8 and has a bottom with a central perforation surrounded by a standing ange on the upper side and a Valve-seat 7 on the lower side. Within the casing 2 fits and slides vertically a piston 4, having rigidly attached to it a valve-stem 5, which passes through the bottom of the casing and bears on its lower end a valve 10, that closes upwardly on the valve-seat 7. A coil-spring 6 surrounds the valve-stem and normally holds the piston 4 up andthe valve 10 closed against the valve-seat 7. The valve-stem 5 is fiattened on two or more of its sides or has a passage-way along its length where it passes through the bottom of the casing 2, so that when the valve 10 descends from the scat 7 there is open communication from the space in the cup 3 along said passage-ways up to the top side of the bottom of the casing 2 and to the outlet-vents 8.

The operation of my testing device is as follows: After the train is coupled up and ready to start if the engineer wishes to test the airbrake and signal system he throws apressure on the train-pipe of, say, ninety pounds, which is twenty pounds more than the normal. This, acting through the hose B and pipes D to D, enters'the diaphragm-valve through lateral pipe e2 and lifts the pin-valve The airpressure then passes down passage-way l to the top of piston 4 andforces it down. As soon as valve l0 leaves its seat 7 the airpressure of forty pounds in the whistle-pipe rushes up through hose C to cup 3 and up the passage-ways 9 to casing 2 and thence issues through the outlets 8 into the air, involving a reduction of pressure in the whistle-pipe that blows the whistle. It is obvious that it' any cock in the train-pipe or any cock in the whistle-pipe has not been properly cut-in or opened the influence of the air-pressure would not be felt back of this closed cock, and

the test apparatus would not work, and the engineer would know at once that one or more of the cocks inthe train-pipe or whistlepipe was not properly cut-in. When the' increased pressure is applied to the train-pipe, the whistle is blown as soon as valve 10 leaves the seat 7; but as the piston 4 continues to descend until it reaches the bottom of the casing 2 it will be seen that the piston passes over and closes the vents 8, and thus stops the blowing of the whistle; but when the increased air-pressure in the train-pipe is taken off the piston 4 starts to rise from the expansion of spring 6, and as soon as the piston 4 rises above the vents 8 the air from the whistlepi'pe is again allowed to escape for a moment and the whistle is again sounded, so that there is always a double signal given, one in applying and the other in removing the increased air pressure. As the piston rises the air above it passes up through passage d and out through the lateral vent c below the pinvalve.

My device as thus described may be hung up or supported in any suitable way at the rear end of the train either inside or outside of an inclosure. A simple and convenient way to support it is shown in the drawings, in which a gooseneck-pipe D" is connected to the upper end of the vertical pipe D to D, and this gooseneck is simply hung upon the handrail A or any other convenient support. At the base of this gooseneck there is a cock D4 for opening the train-pipe into the outer air IIO through the gooseneck, so that a brakeman in backing up a train may by opening this cock reduce the pressure in the train-pipe and apply the brakes from this end of the train. A pipe F is also tapped into a coupling Dzof the train-pipe extension and is provided with a valve F and a whistle F2, so that the brakeman in backing up may blow for danger at this end of the train as well as apply the brakes.

In carrying out my invention I do not confine myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts, as many variations or modifications may be made without departing from my invention.

To facilitate the application of my device, it is permanently connected to the sections B and C of the hose, and these sections are quickly coupled to the sections By C in the usual manner of coupling hose ends between cars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent` isl. A testing device for an air-brake and signal system. consisting of a valve mechanism constructed to connect the air-brake pipe` and whistle-pipe at their rear ends, by which the signal-whistle is operated through thel airbrake pipe when both are in operative condition, and a rear signal-whistle located in that portion of the device directly connecting with the air-brake pipe to signal danger in backing up the train substantially as described.

2. A testing device for an air-brake and signal system, consisting of a valve mechanism constructed to connect the air-brake pipe and whistle-pipe at their rear ends, by which the signal-whistle is operated through the airbrake pipe when both are in operative condition, the connection for the air-brake pipe being extended in the form of a hooked pipe provided with a releasing-valve for applying the brakes, said hooked pipe subserving the double function of `a discharge for the air and means for hanging up the testing device substantially' as described. v

3. A testing device for an air-brake and signal system. consisting of a valve mechanism connecting the air-brake pipe and Whistlepipe at their rear ends, said valve mechanism .comprising a pressure-valve to be operated arranged to sound the whistle twice, once in applying the pressure and once again in releasing pressure substantially as described.

v 5. In a testing device of the kind described,

the combination with a pressure-valve arranged to open as described and a pneumatically-operated discharge-Valve comprising a casing with outlet-vents and a bottom with a hole through it, a spring-held piston with attached valve-stem and valve, said valve-stem having a passage-way for air to transmit air to the discharge-vents when the valve opens substantially as described.

- WILLIAM S. DE CAMP.

Witnesses:

JOHN P. PHILLIPS, ETHEL CHEsMU'i. 

